Since the 1920s, the Nürburgring has been the place where brave men and women have chased incredible speeds and ever-decreasing record lap times. Now we know what a Prius plug-in will do: 20 minutes and 59 seconds.

Toyota says their Prius, driven by UK auto writer Joe Clifford and equipped with a few TRD cosmetic parts, did the run on a public session and complied with all the circuit rules, including the 60 km/h (37 mph) minimum speed.

Clifford said: "We used no special tricks for this test. We simply took a fully charged car, fitted it with low rolling resistance tyres and drove the lap, among all the other public drivers taking the opportunity to experience the challenge of the Nürburgring.

The lap took 20 minutes and 59 seconds. A Porsche 918 Spyder, it ain't.

In dry, breezy conditions, he recorded 698mpg, completing his lap in 20 minutes and 59 seconds. This far outstrips the car's official combined cycle figure of 134mpg; in fact the Toyota used less than five tablespoons of fuel to do the job.

Well, see, there's your problem. You're supposed to drive faster than the speed limit. Who cares about the fuel economy?

By comparison, a Trabant 500 did it in 16 minutes, so... a Prius is slower than a Trabant.